When you’re in the beginning stages of your consulting business, the whole content marketing concept can be overwhelming. It’s hard to know exactly what to do to get started on solid footing for your marketing plan. What if we told you that implementing a 3-step content plan will establish your strong marketing foundation?
Why most content marketing plans fail.
There are three reasons why most consultants just starting out have trouble establishing a good marketing plan.
Not focused
Far too often, consultants spread themselves too thin and try to be everywhere all the time. They dabble in posting on different platforms, not being effective in any of them.
Not consistent
Many consultants start out strong with posting their content consistently. Then either they get bored, frustrated, or busy with other things, consistency diminishes.
Not persistent
Out of feelings of not being heard, many consultants don’t create their content long enough on a platform to see results.
Simple 3-Step Content Marketing Plan
When you’re starting out, your content marketing plan doesn’t have to be robust or complicated.
As a consultant who’s trying to earn business in your niche, you must establish yourself as an expert in what you do. You must begin to build your online platform for people to learn more about who you are, what you stand for, and how you can help them. To do this, you must create content.
Creating content doesn’t have to be hard, but most consultants just starting out will make it harder than it should be. That’s not you. You are not going to become overwhelmed by the process.
If you’ve never adhered to a content creation schedule, you may feel lost as to what to do first. You may feel like starting small won’t make a difference in building your business.
You must create new content creation habits and when you’re a solopreneur, it’s better to start small. It’s better to have a laser focus on three simple steps before adding more to your content plan.
As a consultant starting out, here’s the 3-step super-simple content plan you should implement.
Step 1 | Publish a blog post every other week.
Don’t say you’re not a writer. Don’t believe what you hear about blogging being dead.
The simple fact is that writing a blog on a consistent basis is the easiest way to begin growing your business. Publishing a blog is the most low-tech way to share your message, as compared to video production or podcasting.
You must begin by sharing your message on your website in order to establish an online presence for people to learn more about you. When you meet anyone in a network setting, you better believe they will seek you out online to learn more about you. If you have nothing to offer online, they will move on.
“Writing is the doing part of thinking.”
–Ray Edwards
Committing to publishing a consistent blog post will help you become a better communicator. Even if you feel you aren’t a good writer, you will become a better writer through practice. Consistent practice.
Even if you’re unclear as to what you should write about, simply getting started and through practice, clarity will come.
Create a deadline for yourself as to when your blog post should publish. We suggest every other week to set you up for success. If you’ve never adhered to a content schedule before, daily or weekly posts are overwhelming for most. Sticking to an every other week publishing schedule is doable for most consultants, no matter how busy you are.
Give yourself grace and establish consistency with a blog post every other week. After your habit is established, then you can increase your frequency or add to the mix a different core content platform, like podcasting or video production. The most important thing here is establishing consistency.
Your blog posts don’t have to be epic. Create articles that help your audience. Don’t worry about giving away all your secrets. When you help individuals with what they’re struggling with, then you open a door for them to ask for more help from you.
Step 2 | Post on ONE social platform once a day.
Don’t be everywhere all the time. Otherwise, you won’t gain traction anywhere. Choose one social platform where most of your potential clients will most likely hang out.
Don’t make choosing a social platform be a hard task. The answer is super easy. Out of all the social platforms, which one are you most likely to hang out in?
If you choose the social platform that you like to spend the most time in, then chances are, there’s going to be a good percentage of individuals who have similar interests and philosophies as you and would be your ideal client. If you’re already spending time on the social platform, it’ll be easier for you to stay consistent with a post a day.
To save time, sit down once a week and compose and schedule your social posts for the week. When you batch in this manner, you don’t have to stop what you’re doing on a daily basis, and remember to post. Use a social media scheduling tool to make batching easier.
Don’t ask for a sale in all your posts. Be helpful, genuine, and personable.
Be sure to share your blog post link on your social channel. Also, mix up your posts with such things as memes, announcements, pictures, resource shares, and more.
Step 3 | Email your list every other week.
As a consultant, growing your email list should be your number one priority. When someone has given you their email, they have given you permission to communicate with them further.
Create an account with an email marketing system, such as MailChimp, and have a process to always having opportunities of adding to your list. Consistently communicate with your list.
The easiest way to get started in working this consistency muscle is to write a brief message sharing a highlight or story that pertains to your blog post. Then be sure to share your blog link and encourage the reader to read the full article. You would publish every other week on a day following your blog post publish date.
That’s it! Simple, right? Just 3 steps for a solid content plan for the consultant just starting out.
If you were to commit to doing these three simple steps and remain consistent, you will be way ahead of most consultants because you’d be establishing a solid marketing foundation. After all, without marketing, you won’t have a steady stream of business.